Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken (Epub)

Description

“Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book – also unusual – because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy.” — Louise Erdrich, The New York Times This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It’s a book about what happens when the nation’s foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It’s a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.

User’s Reviews

Review “The best political book of 2017.”―Alex Shephard, The New Republic”In this excellent, insightful memoir, comedian turned senator Franken recalls his unlikely path to public service…Franken is quite a raconteur, and he tells the story of his remarkable life and times with a sense of humor that is always irreverent and often self-deprecating.”―Publishers Weekly”This is a great book about politics. No joke…Compulsively readable [with] laugh-out-loud lines in every chapter.”―Booklist Starred Review”[AL FRANKEN, GIANT OF THE SENATE] may…be the funniest memoir by a sitting – standing, recumbent, squatting – U.S. senator. Scratch that ‘may.’ It surely is. This is a genuinely funny book, often hilarious…the Senate, and the country, would be the poorer without him. He’s an American original.”―Christopher Buckley, The Washington Post”Admirably incautious…Franken has weaponized the gifts that proved so useful for comedy – a sharp eye, a sharper tongue, the ability to tease out the essential absurdity of a given situation and deliver the goods with maximum impact.” ―Mark Binelli, Rolling Stone”In a breezy, funny, biting, and often earnest read, Franken pulls off what many of his congressional colleagues have failed to do: write…an interesting and honest memoir.”―Sam Brodey, MinnPost.com”A fun and compelling book. [Franken] uses self-deprecating humor to poke fun at everyone on either side of the aisle, and he gives readers insight into the daily workings of life in the Senate. His love of the people and the state of Minnesota is crystal clear.”―Jeff Ayers, AP “With this book, Franken is both resistance leader and family counselor…A hilarious guide to what happens when a comedian runs for Congress.”―The Nation

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ “Al Franken, Giant of the Senate” by Al Franken is 405 pages in length and sold on Kindle for $14.99This book is an anecdotal, autobiography by democratic Senator Al Franken from Minnesota. It contains brief snippets of his childhood, his time with Saturday Night Line (SNL), both his campaigns for Senatorial office and finally some revelations surrounding the 2016 Presidential Election and its aftermath; things that have resulted in some unpredictable and unprecedented consequences.Al Franken was first and foremost a comedian, and this trait comes shining through in this book. No matter the point in time being discussed or the seriousness of any given situation, humor in the form of a witty retort or funny thought is never far from his mind.Is the book well written… well, yes and no. It is an basically an extensive anecdotal account of events that have occurred, plus some side remarks that may add some detail or color (often humorous). So this limits the ability and opportunity to write skillful prose. And in truth, if this had a professionally quality to the writing it probably would have lost some of its appeal and the honesty that I came to feel towards this book, and by association, this man.One got the feeling that while reading this book that either Al Franken was continually tooting his own horn OR he was the rarest of all breeds, a politician that had some moral conviction, and the desire and stamina to fight for what he believes is right. My instincts and hopes lean me towards the latter.I came away feeling that the Democratic Party could do a lot worse than having Senator Al Franken as their party’s Presidential nominee in 2020.The book is informative and entertaining… 5 Stars.Ray Nicholson@ralannicholson

⭐ I bought this book while Al Franken was still in the Senate, set it aside due to routine distractions, and read it in 2020 after he left the Senate. It still reads as well as it ordinarily would have, although evoking a slight feeling of regret that he is not still there.First, it should be acknowledged that this is the only book in the English language that features firsthand anecdotes of interactions with both Dan Ackroyd and Ted Cruz, although not at the same time. And, no disrespect to Dan Ackroyd, the Ted Cruz anecdotes are (unintentionally) funnier.The book takes us from Franken’s time at SNL to an intermediate period where he authored such books as Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, to the Democratic primaries for the US Senate seat in Minnesota, to the unbelievably close first election, to his time in the United States Senate.The most notable tales from the Senate include bonding with Republican lawmakers with whom he still strongly disagrees, and, amazingly enough in the age of Trump, working with them to get things done in areas where there is common ground.Despite this, the best lines are reserved for the entire chapter devoted to Ted Cruz, including, “I like Ted Cruz better than do most other Senators. And I really hate Ted Cruz,” and, summing up the extreme dislike felt by most of his fellow senators, “Ted Cruz is the Dwight Schrute of the Senate.”In short, a great read, even though it’s author has sadly moved on to other things.

⭐ I bought the kindle version and, as with all of Al Franken’s books, it was witty, well written and well researched.

⭐ Overall a wonderful and entertaining read, especially if you share Mr. Franken’s political views. Having read the book after Mr. Franken’s resignation from the U.S. Senate, there is definitely a bittersweet, melancholy mood infusing his words. It is clear that he truly enjoyed serving as a senator representing the people of Minnesota, and he took his responsibility seriously and passionately. After years as an comedy writer, entertainer, and political pundit, he at last found a higher calling, one that motivated him to reinvent himself and provided him great job satisfaction. As a U.S. Senator, he learned to be more serious and respectful in order to avoid being cast as the clown of the Senate. Despite his desire to make flippant remarks (as his previous self), he discovered the concept of “dehumorization” which is mentioned throughout the book.His political observations are razor sharp and laugh-out-loud hilarious as in his previous books as a political pundit, but this time with more credibility as he was writing as a full-fledged U.S. senator. He sheds interesting light on the inner workings of the U.S. Senate, as well as the day to day grind he went through. His observations of his fellow senators are enlightening. His stories about Ted Cruz are particularly funny. But rather than just blasting the Republicans as he did in previous books, he also illustrates the importance of working across the aisle with fellow senators. I particularly enjoyed reading which senators he liked working with, and which ones he would rather avoid at all costs. The descriptions and anecdotes he shares are not to be found in most newspapers or magazines.It is bittersweet that he had to resign from the job that has given him the greatest satisfaction of his life. But his words, often funny, and always insightful, make “Giant of the Senate” a worthwhile read for progressives.

⭐ An honest, fair, man who as Senator, works for the people…not himself…I will always hold himin highest esteem because he grew into a decent , protector of a nation that is falling into chaos.God bless him, his family, and the strong mid-western people who had the courage to vote for him, In Senate hearings, Al Franken was Senator who had the courage to ask the important questionsthat made people think. As an advocate, he has important truths to share with this country thatis heading down a slippery slope. We need to listen to him, and think and come to importantdecisions for our country’s future. May God bless us and all who still search for TRUTH.Keep writing, Senator Franken, and we’ll keep reading what you have to say!

⭐ I bought this book before Al was forced to resign from the Senate. He apologized for a poor decision and what was meant to be funny, but in fact disrespectful, movement caught on camera.I am glad I did buy and read it. Al does give us a bit of his personal life and journey; however what I found more riveting was learning close up and personal how things really work on Capital Hill. Specifically, he gives great incite into some of the most pressing issues:Affordable Care ActNo Child Left Behind.The stimulus packageMitch’s obstruction strategyHow to get legislation passed or notClimate change deniers, the Koch Brothers and Fossil fuel moneyNet neutralityAl understands our psychological dispair:”The fact is that he is the president, and Republicans control Congress, and that means we’re going to lose a lot of fights in the years ahead. Plus, we’re going to have to watch Donald Trump be the president. Day after day after day. Insulting speeches. Insane tweets. Policies that are both insulting and insane. This is going to suck for a while.”And he gives hope, encouragement, with tinge of optimism.” And now we have to do it again. This comeback starts with standing up for our values and making it clear that no president has a mandate to spread bigotry or roll back the clock on progress (especially not one who lost the popular vote by three million). It continues through next year, when we have a chance to punish Republicans for enabling this disaster and take back governorships and state legislatures all across the country. That’s how we can put a stop to the voter suppression that made such an impact in 2016 and redraw congressional district boundaries more fairly after the 2020 census.”

⭐ Great Book! Living in DC, our local news is mainly national politics, so I’m burned out on the bi-partisan BS and was unsure if reading this book would just make me mad. It didn’t. Franken is a great writer, and his perspective is one that I enjoy. I found it quite interesting to hear about his initial run and enjoyed hearing about his day-to-day interactions with his colleagues (I use that term loosely). It is heartening to learn that we have at least one Congress Person who has a conscience and takes their job seriously. And it made me laugh.

⭐ Horsepucky!What to say after thousands have read and reviewed that would be different and make you want to read it?No, the book is not horsepucky, but I hope I got your attention.This is one of the better political autobiographies I’ve read; it was honest, blunt, LOL funny, informative, personal, and it even had photos and one drawing. BTW, Al Franken draws and more than just a map of the USA.If you want to know about running for office in this day and age, Al has some input. He can also tell you who knows where to get the best Tuna Sandwich in Wash., D.C. (now, that’s humor).IF you don’t buy it, then go to your library and borrow it to read (and write your review). You’ll be glad you did, either way.I hate RATING books…a review should be enough on its own without some elementary grading system

⭐ I really enjoyed this. Franken is refreshingly blunt about what it’s like to be in the senate, and he’s still funny. It’s interesting to see a guy who went from one thing to something completely different in his life, and yet you see how he really IS a senator. He’s well informed, thoughtful, wants to perform the duties of the office, applies himself to learning, goes out and meets his constituents, learns what their issues are, and has pride in his state. Where the humor comes in is seeing him navigate the more difficult relationships with more prickly colleagues. Sometimes his humor comes out with them, and then you see an unexpected, and enjoyable, bipartisan bonding going on. He takes it seriously. He quoted one of his mentors thusly: “Politics,” he would say, “is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives.” I feel reassured that he’s in government. A neat, behind-the-scenes look.

⭐ An amazing autobiography from Senator Franken that gives insight into the process of being a writer of satire and becoming a Senator. Without being pedantic, Senator Franken takes the reader from his childhood to after the inauguration of President Trump. He gives a lot of information about how he ran for Federal office and reached across the aisle in the Senate to get to know his colleagues. His style is almost tongue-in-cheek yet serious about who he is. Would that there were more in the current Congress with his sense of service to his constituents and our country.Lessons learned: to write excellent satire, know your subject; to become a truly good representative of people, learn about them; to run a winning campaign and functional Congressional office, hire knowledgeable staff and LISTEN to them.Best book I’ve read in some time.

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